Cherry Street Legacy Plan added to Toledo 20/20 Plan

The Cherry Street Legacy Plan, a community partnership designed to create a stronger and safer neighborhood, has been added to The Plan Commission’s Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan.

The project is a public and private partnership led by Mercy St. Vincent’s with collaboration from the community and City of Toledo.

“I think we have 155 years investment in this community and the way we see it is this is a mission imperative—our mission is to advance the health of our community,” said John T. Schaeufele, president and CEO of Mercy Children’s Hospital. “Plus a positive interaction between us and our neighborhoods clearly improves the environment for everyone involved.”

The partnership is a positive example of what can be done when the public and private sectors find ways to collaborate, said Mayor Mike Bell.

The Cherry Street Legacy Plan has already been working within the community for a couple of months. As part of the plan Mercy has worked with the city to pass legislation to provide more lighting in the neighborhood as well as resurface Bancroft Street, Schaeufele said.

The Legacy Plan has also worked with the Department of Neighborhoods to focus on the demolition of vacant homes around Scott High School, said Karen Rogalski, Cherry Street Legacy coordinator.

“It’s helped clean out and stabilize the neighborhood as well as support the investment that is already going in,” Rogalski said.

The plan has already helped the city identify and demolish 30 vacant homes in the area surrounding St. Vincent.

In addition to working with the government the Cherry Street Legacy Plan has worked directly with citizens providing space for block watch meetings at Mercy as well as providing off duty policing.

“Knowing that we have a permanent space and are not turning around having to move, everyone feels great because they know where they need to be every meeting,” said Carole Martin, co-leader the area block watch.

St. Vincent has also assisted the block watch print informational fliers and help the neighborhood identify hot spots of criminal activity.

The plan is something that will help change the perception of the neighborhood and change it back to a place that is “safe, livable and marketable,” said Gregory Kane, co-leader of the block watch who also sits on the Cherry Street Legacy board.